Campaign suggestions

Welcome!

What is this part of the website for?
- 38 Degrees members decide together what we campaign on. One way members can suggest campaigns is through this part of the website.
- This part of the website also helps determine how popular campaigns are through the voting system.
- You can vote on campaigns other 38 Degrees members suggest here You have up to 10 votes you can use.

How can I suggest a campaign?
- If you’ve got an idea for what 38 Degrees should campaign on please share it here.
-By adding your campaign idea here you’ll give other 38 Degrees members the opportunity to comment, suggest improvements and vote on your idea.
- The most popular suggestions made here will be put to 38 Degrees members to discuss and vote on in other ways – e.g. on our facebook, twitter and blog, and through email polls.
- Get involved and have your say – your campaign might be the next to start an avalanche!

How do I use my vote?
- Every member has up to 10 votes, which you are free to use how ever you want.
- If you really keen on a particular campaign, you can use more than one vote. – We will email you when when your ideas are completed or deleted as your votes will return to you.
- You can also change your votes by clicking on them.
- You’ll get a digested email of any activity on your ideas, comments, status changes and admin responses.

What happens to my campaign suggestions and votes?
- 38 Degrees campaigns are driven by what members want to do. Uservoice one of a number of ways in which 38 Degrees members can say what they one to the 38 Degrees to work on.
- If an idea is really popular on this Uservoice part of the website 38 Degrees will consult members about the idea in other ways e.g. through discussions on our blog and Facebook group and through member surveys.
- Please note that an idea being popular on this part of the website does not guarantee that it will become a 38 Degrees campaign. This is because firstly this area of the site is not visted by all 38 Degrees members and secondly because it is possible for non-members to vote. This can potentially skew the results. If in a member survey the wider 38 Degrees membership says other issues are more important, those issues will take priority.
- If 38 Degrees members vote that an idea should be a priority in our main member survey as well as on this part of the web site, the 38 Degrees office team will start work to turn it into a campaign. You can see the results of these main member surveys here: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/tag/poll/

Can I ask others to boost the ranking of my issue?
- It might feel tempting to try and boost the ranking of your favorite issue by encouraging loads of people not involved with 38 Degrees to come and vote for it.
- Please don’t do this — this is intended as a space for 38 Degrees members to discuss together what they want us to do.

Are there any rules?
- It’s really important that the 38 Degrees website is a place where we can all have a healthy debate – which is why we don’t moderate comments or campaign suggestions before they are published. However, to ensure our site stays family friendly we have a few rules that you can read here:http://38degrees.org.uk/pages/comments-policy

I suggest a campaign about ...

You've used all your votes and won't be able to post a new idea, but you can still search and comment on existing ideas.

There are two ways to get more votes:

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To see ideas you have already voted on, select the "My feedback" filter and select "My open ideas".

Enter your campaign idea

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If a similar idea already exists, you can vote and comment on it.

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Enter your idea and we'll search to see if someone has already suggested it.

Local councils should use agencies that have carers available when people need to leave hospital. This would stop bed blocking and prevent people like my poor Dad, (88 years old), from being stuck in a hospital bed for FOUR months!! He is so upset, he has given up and to be honest, I think he will die in there if something is not done soon.

The statistics show that in 99% of all reported cases of child abuse, the child was actually abused, yet one child being abused is not enough evidence, (without actual physical evidence) to take court action. The law wants more than one child to be abused before it is going to take any action - now how totally twisted and wrong is this?

It is also shocking to hear that in over 90% of cases of sexual abuse to children is done by someone known to the child. So in most cases when the sexual abuse is uncovered it is then swept back under the carpet, so as not to cause a scene, upset people, split up a family or spoil someone's reputation. Is this acceptable, honest, trustworthy adult behaviour? No of course it isn't. Most parents and teachers will tell children they should tell the truth and be honest, then when it comes to crunch time, adults will not do this themselves. They will avoid, hide and even lie rather than face the truth, be honest and do the right thing.

Should we not be doing everything we can in our power to protect our innocent children? Shouldn't we be going with the 99% statistic of abuse, not defending the 1%?

We cannot teach children to be truthful and honest and live with high morals and integrity if we don't do it ourselves and if the laws of society don't support this.

The statistics show that in 99% of all reported cases of child abuse, the child was actually abused, yet one child being abused is not enough evidence, (without actual physical evidence) to take court action. The law wants more than one child to be abused before it is going to take any action - now how totally twisted and wrong is this?

It is also shocking to hear that in over 90% of cases of sexual abuse to children is done by someone known to the child. So in most cases when the sexual abuse is uncovered it is then…

Short selling of stocks impacts everyone's pensions, it also impacts anyone's other investments in UK listed companies. Suppose your pension advisor invested £100,000 of your pension pot into RBS shares just prior to a gang of stock short sellers attacking RBS stock, within a few days the price of the stock has halved and your pension pot is now worth £50,000 less. A typical scenario that happens to many stocks every week. The majority of people don't realise that short selling has been impacting their pensions regularly. Short selling should be illegal. Short selling is when someone, or mostly an organised gang, borrow shares that they then sell into the stock market, forcing the value of a company down. I can't short sell three bedroom houses or BMW 7 series cars until they reach a price that I am willing to pay for them, in the same sense nobody should be allowed to short sell stock of a company, as the stock represents part of that company. Many UK companies have suffered extremely from the gangs of shorters, many going into administration because the value of the company was forced down so low that the company could not raise enough cash to support its operations, surely forcing a company into administration in this way should be illegal. Shorters are making a fortune by ruining British small companies, again it should be illegal. The UK stock market is a farce so long as people are able to sell shares that they don't even own. Protect your pension and your investments and vote for a ban on short selling of UK listed stocks.

Short selling of stocks impacts everyone's pensions, it also impacts anyone's other investments in UK listed companies. Suppose your pension advisor invested £100,000 of your pension pot into RBS shares just prior to a gang of stock short sellers attacking RBS stock, within a few days the price of the stock has halved and your pension pot is now worth £50,000 less. A typical scenario that happens to many stocks every week. The majority of people don't realise that short selling has been impacting their pensions regularly. Short selling should be illegal. Short selling is when someone, or mostly an…

We have a European citizens initiative www.efvi.eu in place so we can get a seat at the table to negotiate a fairer deal on the use of e-cigarettes, directives put in place on the 26th of February have effectively banned all ecig products on the market today with each member state having to put these policies in force by 2016, this directive will only put public health at risk and deny smokers the use of a scientifically proven safer alternative. The EU regulations are so disproportionate that it will only be the large multinational tobacco and pharmaceutical companies that will effectively own the market producing products that are too expensive and like regular forms of NRT have very limited success, this will effectively stop people from attempting to quit smoking tobacco.
We have come along way with electronic cigarettes in the last few years and are showing massive health benefits to there users, it has cost no tax payers money and has had no cases of Ill health, please don't let the governments take it away.

We have a European citizens initiative www.efvi.eu in place so we can get a seat at the table to negotiate a fairer deal on the use of e-cigarettes, directives put in place on the 26th of February have effectively banned all ecig products on the market today with each member state having to put these policies in force by 2016, this directive will only put public health at risk and deny smokers the use of a scientifically proven safer alternative. The EU regulations are so disproportionate that it will only be the large multinational tobacco and pharmaceutical companies that will…

If trade unions have to have 40% vote of members pre strike action
it follows that MPs have to have 50%+1 of the vote to be elected
not as at present 18%/ 20%/or 22%
Only one third of MPs at present were elected by 50% of the vote this is wrong

Ofcom has just announced it is giving UKIP "major party" status in the run up to the 2014 elections. Green party members are particularly upset about this, but the real question is who sets the rules and what are they? At the moment there seem to be none. Ofcom makes up a new set of criteria just before each election, when it can see which way the polls are running. The result is different rules for every election. There should be a set formula which applies all the time, be it number of MPs, councillors, or MEPs or number of votes cast in last election, or whatever. Ad hoc rule changing undermines democracy and makes the real decision making process opaque and untrustworthy.

Ofcom has just announced it is giving UKIP "major party" status in the run up to the 2014 elections. Green party members are particularly upset about this, but the real question is who sets the rules and what are they? At the moment there seem to be none. Ofcom makes up a new set of criteria just before each election, when it can see which way the polls are running. The result is different rules for every election. There should be a set formula which applies all the time, be it number of MPs, councillors, or MEPs or number of…

We agree a basket of settlements to be included e.g. Police, nurses, teachers, local council workers - MPs will automatically be awarded a pay rise of the average of our basket of public sector posts. After all, we're all in this together - aren't we? I notice the Welsh Assembly Members have finally hitched up their gravy train and 17% is the figure in their trough.

A small quarry in the Forest of Dean, in a tourist beauty spot, is now applying for a huge expansion up to 470 acres. This expansion will not only mean one farmer losing his whole farm and livelihood, two other farmers losing hundreds of acres of farmland, but will affect thirteen close properties, an AONB, two historic villages, an SSSI, Ancient Woodland and Historic monuments. It will also set a UK wide precedence for smaller buffer zones which will affect hundreds of people living near quarries. Please help us fight this one...

We're all told to save for our old age, but where can we safely keep our savings? Only a small percentage of what is needed is currently protected and the rest is at the mercy of the markets, akin to put it in a casino.

This campaign is not about helping wealthy investors, speculating on the stock exchange or taking risks to bolster their existing riches. It is about ordinary people with limited means who may be reaching old age having scrimped throughout their working lives to put a little away to help them survive when they can no longer earn a living. People's life savings have been washed away in the blink of an eye by the turmoil in the financial markets and the bad management of companies and Government departments they relied upon to protect them.

In recent years the UK regulator has not only failed to protect savers, it has itself become a source of risk by issuing inflammatory statements that have resulted in the suspension of funds and savers being denied access to their money. The regulator, the FCA, polices its own activities and even appoints its own Complaints Commissioner, a role that lacks any authority over the FCA. Highly paid executives in the organisation (funded by tax payers) effectively have 'carte blanche' to do what they want with complete exemptions from liability and even complaints against their principle functions.

Radical reform is needed and the creation of an investment vehicle where non-expert savers can trust that with a modest return, their money is safe.

Many of us do not wish to gamble our life savings in financial markets we don't understand, and we no longer trust the highly paid 'city types' in expensive offices at Canary Wharf, who fail to protect our savings and then try to baffle us with all the reasons why they are blameless, we just want to know that our hard earned money is safe.

If enough of us demand it, especially in the run up to an election, action could be taken to increase the scrutiny and answer-ability of the financial services regulator (the FCA), and maybe we can persuade government to create an investment bank to fund capital projects with a dependable return, such as toll bridges or tidal energy barrages, with a guaranteed return to savers. It doesn't have to compete with riskier private investments but it does have to be safe.

We're all told to save for our old age, but where can we safely keep our savings? Only a small percentage of what is needed is currently protected and the rest is at the mercy of the markets, akin to put it in a casino.

This campaign is not about helping wealthy investors, speculating on the stock exchange or taking risks to bolster their existing riches. It is about ordinary people with limited means who may be reaching old age having scrimped throughout their working lives to put a little away to help them survive when they can no longer…

On 1st September 2014 Network Rail will become a public-sector company and its debt of over £33 billion will be transferred to the taxpayer. Over the next 5 years the taxpayer will fund over £38 billion of Network Rail improvements however David Cameron has allegedly blocked moves to make Network Rail subject to Freedom of Information requests that would have allowed the taxpayer to scrutinise spending of their money, including paying Network Rail fat cat executives high salaries and bonuses.

In the build up to the 2010 General Election the Conservatives said they would extend FOI to Network Rail however they appear to have now made a U-turn.

David Cameron should reverse his decision and Network Rail should be included in Freedom of Information requests as originally promised. This issue should be discussed in the upcoming consultation to FOI changes later this year.

On 1st September 2014 Network Rail will become a public-sector company and its debt of over £33 billion will be transferred to the taxpayer. Over the next 5 years the taxpayer will fund over £38 billion of Network Rail improvements however David Cameron has allegedly blocked moves to make Network Rail subject to Freedom of Information requests that would have allowed the taxpayer to scrutinise spending of their money, including paying Network Rail fat cat executives high salaries and bonuses.

In the build up to the 2010 General Election the Conservatives said they would extend FOI to Network Rail however…

PC is the 5th largest cancer killer in the UK yet it receives just 1% of the research funding. Over 8000 will be diagnosed this year alone - 20+ being diagnosed today! 5 year survival rates have not improved in over 40 years and still remain at just 3% - most sadly die within weeks of diagnosis.

PC charities in the UK would like to take these statistics to Parliament but in order to get our voices heard we need to get 100,000 signatures on an epetition (hosted by Maggie Watts - a widow to PC) by the 8 April 2014. The epetition currently has just over 33,000 signatures and can be found at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/48389. Please could 38 degrees help us to reach 100,000 by the deadline. Obviously time is of the essence here so your vote to put this out there would be gratefully received.

PC is the 5th largest cancer killer in the UK yet it receives just 1% of the research funding. Over 8000 will be diagnosed this year alone - 20+ being diagnosed today! 5 year survival rates have not improved in over 40 years and still remain at just 3% - most sadly die within weeks of diagnosis.

PC charities in the UK would like to take these statistics to Parliament but in order to get our voices heard we need to get 100,000 signatures on an epetition (hosted by Maggie Watts - a widow to PC) by the 8 April…

make it law that you cant take biscuits from the bottom tray until the top tray is empty, im so fed up with eating all the ones I don't like then going to the bottom tray and discovering all the best ones are already taken, this act of selfishness and greed should be banned with sever penalties for the perpetrators.

Former ministers among those saying that they received combined £7.1m in income from outside parliament"

Aside from the distraction to their primary roles there are also massive questions around conflicts of interest:

"One of the top earners is Charles Hendry, who was until September 2012 a minister of state at the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Hendry says he received an income of £100,000 from three companies working in the energy sector: Forewind, an offshore wind group, Atlantic Superconnection, a proposal to bring energy into the UK from Iceland, and the energy and commodities group Vitol.

...

Hendry told the Guardian his private sector roles were preparation for his departure from parliament at the next election.

“As you will be aware, I am leaving parliament at the next election,” he said. “As there is no longer a resettlement payment for MPs who step down voluntarily (quite rightly), I have started the process of developing external interests ahead of that time.”

MPs can rightly argue that they have a stressful and difficult job, with long hours.

With this in mind I propose:

* Raising MPs basic salary

* Banning all outside business interests

* Scraping expenses entirely

The goals for this proposal are simple:

* MPs focused solely on their elected roles.

* Remove conflicts of interest and distractions with business interests.

* Do away with all the time and money spend on administering and regulating the use of the expenses system.

I think it's time that MPs focused on the job they were elected to do.

Today's article in the Guardian highlights just how distracted many MPs are from their elected roles.

I am sure other members must be appalled, particularly in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings, by the weekly public flogging of Raif Badawi for nothing more than exercising his right to free speech. Can we put pressure on the government to take a hard line on this, rather than just tutting a little and letting Saudi Arabia do what it wants, regardless of basic human rights?
Guardian report is here for more details -
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/14/saudi-blogger-lashes-amnesty-international-raif-badawi

It's 2015....I hate the thought of ever voting for any party I feel has lost touch with what is actually going on here. I also hate the thought of having to choose the closest fit to my views. I think that many of the Parties are out of date. I think we should Ask Our people, door to door if needed, what they think needs to be done in each country to fix it, then act on the most common expression, opinion given from all of the statements given. Could the Queen order all Parliament and political Parties to disband and reform under different Names with new goals and policies? That way, I believe that the country could finally try to vote for party that actually has a good plan to make each country of the UK great again. If not, Why not?

It's 2015....I hate the thought of ever voting for any party I feel has lost touch with what is actually going on here. I also hate the thought of having to choose the closest fit to my views. I think that many of the Parties are out of date. I think we should Ask Our people, door to door if needed, what they think needs to be done in each country to fix it, then act on the most common expression, opinion given from all of the statements given. Could the Queen order all Parliament and political Parties to disband…

Please stop DEFRA from ending support to Rural Community Councils to prevent rural areas from becoming a green desert with no community life support!

Rural Community Councils are not an unaffordable luxury, they provide direct support to often isolated and disadvantaged rural communities with help to create a sense of community, campaign for local services that meet genuine needs, manage important local assets and get involved in active participation in democracy and volunteering.

Dear Head Teachers, please take action to safeguard the health and development of pupils in your school by banning the use of mobile/smart phones on school property and using only wired communications for all IT equipment and utility meters. Wi-Fi/2.4GHz signals have been shown in scientific studies to cause biological damage, alter brain activity, increase the proliferation of cancer cells and have a negative effect on fertility. Schools have a legal duty to prevent any damage to the health and development of children. Responses to the government's statements on Wi-Fi safety can be found here: http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/SSITA+response+January+2014.pdf.
Calls for you to take action from medical associations and leading scientists can be found here: http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/safeschools2012.pdfStudies finding damage from Wi-Fi/2.4Gz can be found here:
http://wifiinschools.org.uk/30.html.

If action isn't taken then the health, development and fertility of a whole generation of children may be damaged, with possible consequences for future generations. Children have a right to an education, and a right to life.

In so many areas of science at the moment, knowledge is being twisted, confused and manipulated into what is economically and politically convenient. Examples are can be found in climate change, pollution, GM foods as well as the safety of mobile technologies. But when it comes to damaging children, the public deserve to know the truth.

Dear Head Teachers, please take action to safeguard the health and development of pupils in your school by banning the use of mobile/smart phones on school property and using only wired communications for all IT equipment and utility meters. Wi-Fi/2.4GHz signals have been shown in scientific studies to cause biological damage, alter brain activity, increase the proliferation of cancer cells and have a negative effect on fertility. Schools have a legal duty to prevent any damage to the health and development of children. Responses to the government's statements on Wi-Fi safety can be found here: http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/SSITA+response+January+2014.pdf.
Calls for you…